Fartlek is typically translated as “speed play” … and that’s the order of business today. Fartlek workouts can be done anywhere, on any surface, alone or with buddies, and in any weather … because the whole point is to run fast while having some fun. Today, we’ll set up some cones around the track and you decide where you want to run fast and where you want to run slow. Run two cones fast and rest for four, run one fast and one easy, ignore the cones completely and use spots on the ground, airplanes flying over, or the soccer balls from after-school practice as your signals to start and stop. The key is to mix it up with a lot of variety and end the day with a good bout of speed. You can even ignore your watch and your pace today since it’s all about having fun while running hard!

Session

Warmup: 10 minutes, include arm circles, reaches and upper body warmup as well as running

Session: 20 minutes fartlek – cones, telephone poles, mailboxes, trees, holes, school buses, whatever gets the job done.

Cooldown: 10 minutes followed by some basic running drills – butt kicks, high knees, skipping, heel slides, crossovers – no more than 100m each. Follow with 4 50m strides.